10 



The Florists^ Review 



January 9, 1919. 



mitted could be tabulated by the secre- 

 tary of the board and a list could be 

 sent to each grower, giving the total 

 number being grown in that district. 

 Anyone could ascertain at a glance how 

 many roses, carnations, mums, begonias, 

 ferns, cyclamens and all other varieties 

 were being grown in that district. 



To illustrate, we will take roses: Sup- 

 pose everyone growing roses in New 

 England submits his list of varieties 

 and quantities to the Board of Trade. 

 The secretary tabulates them and the 

 total shows that there are 300,000 Ward, 

 500,000 Ophelia, 100,000 Eichmond and 

 100,000 Hadley planted in the district. 

 At the end of the season, at a meeting 

 of the board and by information gained 

 by keeping tab on the market prices, 

 we find that Ward was in oversupply, 

 Ophelia was equal to the demand and 

 Richmond and Hadley were not equal to 

 the demand. With these facts and 

 figures at hand, the board could approxi- 

 mate the percentage of each discrep- 

 ancy and suggest that each grower cut 

 down on Ward twenty per cent, grow 

 the same amount of Ophelia and in- 

 crease on Richmond and Hadley twenty 

 per cent, or whatever conditions war- 

 ranted for the coming season. The busi- 

 ness has become large enough so that 

 the demand is regular and it is up to 

 the growers to steady the supply. 



Applied to Pot Plants. 



Let us take a look at the pot plant 

 end of the game. Cut flowers have a 

 more regular price than plants, on ac- 

 count of being sold in the open market. 

 Growers are at variance with one 

 another in selling pot plants; one does 

 not know what the other is charging 

 for a certain size, for growers seem to 

 like to keep their prices a trade secret. 



We will consider the cyclamen. Sup- 

 pose the growers of cyclamens report the 

 quantity they have on hand October 1, 

 as at that time they can judge pretty 

 well how many of each size they will 

 have salable for the holidays. We will 

 say that in this district there are 200,- 

 000 plants grown this year. The prices 

 run: 3-inch, 50 cents; 4-inch, 75 cents; 

 5-inch, $1 and $1.50; 6-inch, $1.50 and 

 $2, and so on, of course using a good 

 plant correctly potted for a standard in 

 each size. The variance would be settled 

 between the grower and retailer. If it 

 should so turn out, the report at the 

 end of the season, sent to each grower, 

 would be that plants in small sizes were 

 scarce, medium sizes were equal to the 

 demand and large sizes were in oversup- 

 ply. The percentage would be approxi- 

 mated in the same way as in the case of 

 roses, the secretary sending out the 

 finding of the board to the effect that 

 for the following year it advises increas- 

 ing 3-inch, 4-inch and 5-inch sizes twen- 

 ty per cent, growing the same quantity 

 of 5-inch and 6-inch and cutting down 

 twenty per cent on the larger sizes. 



The board, with the results of the 

 previous year before it, could ascertain 

 the selling price of such a crop by get- 

 ting a survey of the quantity and, after 

 the mite had got through its season, 

 could issue a statement that the supply 

 in sight is less than the previous year 

 and suggestions could be made as to the 

 advisability of increasing the price 

 twenty per cent or thirty per cent, or 

 whatever conditions warranted. 



Other varieties could be handled in 

 the same way, to the advantage of the 

 ■wholesaler and retailer, insofar as that 



it wquld steady the supply of each com- 

 modity. 



Consider the Mums. 



Such a condition of affairs would have 

 the benefit of this psychological feature 

 of the business in that the more people 

 pay for plants and flowers, up to a cer- 

 tain point, the more plants and flowers 

 are appreciated. The grower, no doubt, 

 thinks that mums at $3 per dozen, whole- 

 sale, are much more beautiful than when 

 they are bringing $1.50 per dozen. 



One bad feature of the greenhouse 

 business is described as follows: This 

 year mums sold well; no serious gluts. 

 The result can be expected to be that 

 next year florists will increase the mum 

 crops fifty per cent or more. Then will 

 come the usual slump and the gluts, 

 which are bad for retailers as well as 

 wholesalers. When the midseason va- 

 rieties are coming, in they retail at $3 

 per dozen, but they are likely to be $6 

 the following week and the public no 

 doubt wonders what excuse there can 



The Editor is pleased when 

 a Reader presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we learn 

 fiMtest by an exchange of 

 experiences. Many valuable 

 points are brought out by 

 discussion. 



Good penmanship, spelling and 

 Krammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Wri te as you would tai k 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU 



be for it. But, getting back to the grow- 

 er who increased fifty per cent: He 

 does not realize so much ais he figured 

 on, the mum growers have an im- 

 promptu meeting and curse the business 

 and their luck. They cut down their 

 supply the next year. Consequently the 

 market is good again and the growers 

 once more curse their luck and the busi- 

 ness. But they individually decide to 

 increase their planting next year, with 

 the result that the disappointments 

 never cease. Such conditions always 

 have been akin to the business and 

 it readily can be seen what advantage 

 a controlling board would be, eliminat- 

 ing these conditions. 



A Leaf From Swift's Book. 



Take a look at all the large indus- 

 tries of the country. As an example 

 take the packing business. One of the 

 world's largest packing concerns has 

 been advertising quite extensively facts 

 about its' business, telling the public 

 how many cattle there are in this coun- 

 try, how a reduced supply and increased 

 demand is the cause of the high price 

 of meat, how many animals it handled 

 last year, the cost in detail of killing, 

 dressing, freezing and, in fact, every 

 item connected with marketing its prod- 

 uct. Of course there is a wide differ- 



ence in cattle and flowers, although one 

 of the foremost rose growers in this 

 country once said that a rose and the 

 rear end of a cow were closely related, 

 but both commodities are perishable 

 and each is a necessity up to a certain , 

 point. These big firms know the cost 

 of production, give little credit and 

 have systematized their business to a 

 high degree of efficiency. When florists 

 know the cost of production and have 

 more strict business methods they will 

 make more headway and be more suc- 

 cessful than ever before. 



When we talk about luxuries and 

 necessities, the American Indian showed 

 us what real necessities are: Something 

 to eat and drink, a place to sleep and 

 plenty of fresh air. But as civilization 

 has advanced society demands more and 

 many former luxuries are looked upon 

 as necessities. Meat at 80 cents per 

 pound is a necessity; if it was $5 per 

 pound it would be a luxury. It is the 

 same with flowers and every other com- 

 modity; they are necessities at times 

 and luxuries at others. It is up to the 

 florists to devise a general plan to stif- 

 fen up the backbone of the business 

 and then it will grow out of the infancy 

 the sages have been talking about for 

 the last twenty years. 



Retailers Would Benefit. 



By such a plan as set forth retailers 

 would benefit as well as growers, as 

 there is more profit in selling carnations 

 that cost 6 cents at $1.50 per dozen than 

 in paying 3 cents and getting 75 cents. 

 Haphazard greenhouse building might 

 be discouraged,^ for if, in the opinion 

 of the Board of Trade, it was inadvis- 

 able to increase glass area, the growers 

 should take heed and devote their sur- 

 plus cash to getting what glass they 

 have in good repair, working at full 

 capacity and efficiency. It might be 

 well to impress the fact on floriijts' 

 minds that if they cannot make a profit 

 on iJO,000 feet of glass their chances are 

 no better with double the amount. 



The foregoing is submitted to the 

 trade for what it is worth and in the 

 hope that it may start something worth 

 while. Robert S. Edgar. 



VEGETABLE PRICES. 



Growers of greenhouse vegetables are 

 getting excellent prices for their crops 

 this season. Prices in the Chicago mar- 

 ket January 7 on the three principal 

 greenhouse crops were as follows: 



Cucumbers, box of two dozen $3.50(a)$5.00 



Lettuce, leaf, per box 45® .50 



Radishes, doz. bunches 75® .85 



Only outdoor crops of the other vege- 

 tables had made their appearance at Chi- 

 cago on that date. 



The report for the New York market 

 on greenhouse vegetables January 4 was 

 as follows: 



Cucumbers, per dozen @ .... 



Lettuce, eastern, per strap ® .... 



Mushrooms— White, 3-lb basket $1.40@$1.75 



Brown, per 3-lb. basket 1.25@ 1.60 



Buttons, per 3-lb. basket 1.00@ 1.25 



Opens, per 3-lb. basket @ .75 



Radishes, per 100 bunches 3.00® 5.00 



Tomatoes— Pair to fancy, per lb 20® .80 



No. 2, per lb 12® .15 



No cucumbers or lettuce arriving. 

 Mushrooms in larger supply today, but 

 much of the stock coming in late and 

 with demand less active, market is de- 

 cidedly lower. Radishes in light supply, 

 but tone easier. Tomatoes steady. 



Oklahoma, Okla.— W. L. Dalgety is 

 building a greenhouse and expects to 

 grow flowers for the market. 



